The small, soft-spoken Latino woman stood in the crowded room and told how she was at home on a recent Sunday morning when 10 police officers broke down the front door of the apartment she and her family rent in Mount Pleasant. The officers forced her to get undressed and then proceeded to search the apartment, breaking furniture, slashing cushions and breaking open picture frames.

The police found nothing and left.

All she wanted to know was this: Were her civil rights violated and how can she get her valuables replaced?

She was one of more than 60 Latinos who crowded into the Adams Morgan Community Center Jan. 27 to learn more about their civil rights and what they should do if the police arrest them.

The workshop in Spanish, called "When Stopped by the Police," was sponsored by the Latino Civil Rights Center. Attorney Juan Milanes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Capt. Maria Alvarenga from the Metropolitan Police Department instructed Latinos on subjects like arrests, arraignment procedures, search warrants and police brutality. Participants were given both the defense lawyers’ and the police department’s view of these subjects.

"If the police come to your door without a search warrant and ask to come in, your answer should always be ‘no,’" Milanes told the crowd.

"Juan is talking like a lawyer, and I’m going to disagree with him," countered Alvarenga, laughing.

The woman whose apartment was searched was told that, even though the police found no evidence of any crime in her apartment, the police acted properly because they had a valid search warrant. It is highly unlikely she could get any compensation for her property that was destroyed, she also was told.

Many in the crowd were there to get basic answers about a criminal justice system they don’t understand. Issues that normally would be taught to high school students in this country were foreign concepts to many attendees, who came to this country as adults.

Milanese reminded them that many Latin American countries change their constitutions every time a new political leader or party takes power and the citizens’ constitutional rights change also. He assured them that their basic rights, such as the right to have an attorney present when questioned by police, cannot be revoked by the police.

"Remember, the police are here to help us," Milanese said. "Sometimes, many times, because of language and cultural differences, things break down."

Milanes said many in the Latino community run into legal problems simply be-cause they are not fluent enough in English to fully understand what is happening when they get arrested.

"You have the right to defend your rights in any way you can," he said, "and in many cases, that means exercising your right to remain silent."

He also advised workshop attendees to ask for a lawyer if they are questioned by the police, because they may not fully understand the meaning of charges brought against them.

"’I want a lawyer.’ It’s important to say those words, because those words are your protection," he said.

One of the major concerns discussed was the issue of immigration status. Milanese and Alvarenga gave assurances that the various police departments in the District do not have the authority to ask Latino community members about their immigration status or to see their green cards.

"In some of our home countries, by law, we have to carry identification all the time," Alvarenga said. "You don’t have to carry identification all the time here except when you’re driving."

Milanese also cautioned those present about resisting arrest for fear of exacerbating an already-volatile situation.

"You put your life in the hands of these cops" when you get arrested, Milanes told the crowd. "The worst thing you can do is try to physically defend yourself."

The next workshop is expected to be held the last week in February. For more information, call the Latino Civil Rights Center at 332-1053.

Copyright 1999, The Common Denominator